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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · pitcher · drill · court · shower · foot · stand · nail

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stand — to bear
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. shower — rain
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. foot — a measure
  11. drill — army training
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. court — for sport
  18. drill — the tool
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com